Rwanda and Kenya: Garnered to Strengthen Cooperation to enable Transport Services along the Northern Corridor

By Abdul Rahman Bangura-

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone– In a bid to bolster trade and streamline the movement of goods and people through improved connectivity, the two nations have pegged to the needful to strengthen ties.

Northern Corridor is the transport corridor bridging Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the Kenyan sea port of Mombasa. The corridor same serves Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia.

The bilateral meeting wields on Tuesday, March 19th, 2024, saw retired General James Kabarebe, Minister of State in Charge of Regional Cooperation, Jean-Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Jimmy Gasore, Minister of Infrastructure engage with Kipchumba Murkomen, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport.

Murkomen stated, Kenya’s venture to stimulate solid diplomatic and trade ties with neighboring nations, highlighting the significance of the discussions on trade and transport facilitation along the Northern Corridor.

“In our discussions with Rwanda’s counterparts at the infrastructure [Ministry] headquarters, we reviewed the progress made since our last meeting held in Nairobi on February 16,” he noted in an X post.

The previous bilateral conference in Nairobi on February 16th, 2024, focused on trade facilitation between Rwanda and Kenya, especially focusing on the movement of cargo from Mombasa to Kigali.

Murkomen stressed the elephantine strides made, recognizing the laudable progress in cargo handling at Naivasha Inland Container Depots (ICD).

Critical outcomes encircled streamlined processes such as an agreement on fuel loading points for Rwanda, increased utilization of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), and integration of more Rwandan clearing agents.

“The discussions on investment and facilitation strategies, along with the implementation modalities, are composed to enhance the competitiveness of the Northern Corridor and the wider region on the global stage,” Murkomen noted.

And the conference ended with the autograph of a report outlining agreed action points.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports, Africa Correspondent